On Saturday night at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, UK, Tyler Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO) won the English derby against Felix Cash (16-1-0, 10 KO), thus retaining the European Middleweight Title (EBU) that he had taken from Matteo Signani seven months ago. Just like on that occasion, it was a cut that caused the fight to stop, but this time referee Mark Lyson declared a Technical Decision, leaving it to the judges to determine the winner. Denny was confirmed as champion by unanimous decision with the following scores: 49-46 and twice 49-47, all in his favor.
Felix Cash’s fans were hoping for a “resurrection” of their favorite after a rather unsatisfactory period. After the overwhelming victory over Denzel Bentley in April 2021, Cash had two very lackluster performances against second-tier opponents before taking a year and a half break prior to this title opportunity. It was inevitable that some rust would show in his movements, which did not prevent him from winning the first round thanks to a significantly higher work rate than the champion, who appeared rather cautious at the start.
The tide changed from the second round onward, as Denny decided to break the deadlock and began attacking more consistently with his characteristic chaotic yet effective style. Cash was uncomfortable in the role of outfighter, showing significant defensive gaps: Denny’s wide punches, though not appearing irresistible, frequently found their target, soon prompting the challenger and his corner to change strategy.
Cash showed signs of life in the fourth round, accepting exchanges and trying to contest the center of the ring, but just at his best moment, a few seconds before the end of the round, he took a violent hook that forced him to retreat to the ropes. There isn’t much else to tell, as just 35 seconds into the fifth round, the referee escorted Cash to the ringside doctor to examine a nasty cut near his right eye. The dangerous location of the cut led to the decision to stop the fight and proceed to the scorecards, proclaiming Tyler Denny the rightful winner.
Although the heads of the two fighters collided multiple times, partly due to Denny’s habit of closing the distance with his head forward, a replay showed a clean punch from the champion right on the cut, suggesting the injury might have been caused by a legitimate blow. In any case, this changes little in terms of the result.
We will see if this frustrating defeat will spur Felix Cash to intensify his boxing career or if it will demoralize him further. For Denny, however, a golden period continues: unbeaten for almost five years, the European champion seems at the peak of his career and will likely soon ask his promoter Eddie Hearn to secure him a world title shot. In other eras, the world title might have been out of his reach, but given the significant drop in the level of top middleweights in recent years, it is not out of the question that Denny might be at least competitive.